He’s right, you know. Tenacity will get you a very long way. 
Lucy:
He’s right, you know. Tenacity will get you a very long way.
And sometimes a little “creative blagging” helps too
True. Just don’t get caught. 
as above theres jobs out there but unless youve got a few big r.d.c,s near you to give the area some compotition there going to not pay very well .
4 years and ive managed to get to 21,600 basic ,sun to thurs ,1.00am starts,lots of long shifts .[but im getting a scania as part of the package ].
i know we see the quotes of 35-40 k per year but where i am i dont think theres a cat in hells chance of getting near that , theres got to be a bit[ lot] of the i just love driving trucks for the love of it not the money im afraid
ady1:
ive managed to get to 21,600 basic ,sun to thurs ,1.00am starts,lots of long shifts .[but im getting a scania as part of the package
How the hell can the truck be part of your package, unless of course you are being given it to keep for free? No? I didn’t think so.
Will your local supermarket give you a discount on your shopping when you show them the Scania then? Or maybe your mortgage company will knock a few quid off each month if you let then sit in it?
Is this an indication on the state of the industry today? Drivers will work for lower wages as long as the company give them what they think is a good truck to drive. The bosses must be laughing all the way to the bank. 
I don’t think he’s saying that, but I think most people if offered 2 jobs at the same rates would go for the company with the nicest vehicles. I know I certainly wouldn’t go back to working for anyone running LDV vans since driving Sprinters and LT35s for the past couple of years. You want to be comfortable on the job, and we drive because we like driving, so want a good vehicle.
Coffeeholic:
ady1:
ive managed to get to 21,600 basic ,sun to thurs ,1.00am starts,lots of long shifts .[but im getting a scania as part of the package
Is this an indication on the state of the industry today? Drivers will work for lower wages as long as the company give them what they think is a good truck to drive. The bosses must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Well put Neil.
Don’t get me wrong - I like a nice truck - I spend a lot of time in it after all.
But the most important criteria to meet is the level of pay.
If the ching ching factor isn’t there - I’m not interested.
I’d drive a clapped out, F reg ERF E10 for £10 / hour long before I’d accept £6 / hour for a [insert your favourite big-cabbed, mega BHP, blinged up, gory-boy motor here].
What I’m trying to say that a truck is a tool to do your job. Nothing more. Nothing less. With a bit of experience you can have both the pay and the truck. But your priority should be to get the numbers on next years P60 as high as possible.
A shiny motor is not a substitute for poor pay. Not saying that ady1 is in this situation - he may well be on a fantastic overall package with his pay for the hours he puts in.
But for any newbie reading this - please don’t think it is OK to put up with poor pay in exchange for a good truck.
There doesnt seem to be a great deal around Manchester at the moment, and I aint the position where I can drop to £5.50PH for LGV work when I can pull near £8 in a van.
When I passed the first thing I got asked for was experiance, No experiance no work,
How can you get experiance if no one is willing to offer you work 
B1 GGK:
There doesnt seem to be a great deal around Manchester at the moment, and I aint the position where I can drop to £5.50PH for LGV work when I can pull near £8 in a van.When I passed the first thing I got asked for was experiance, No experiance no work,
How can you get experiance if no one is willing to offer you work
If you get more driving a smaller vehicle stick with it. Driving a larger vehicle does not give you a larger status - laugh at all those who swap higher wages for a “better status” vehicle with lower wages.
As with most industries, employers want some-one who is already trained with experience of doing the job but there will always be one who cannot fill the post and can be a case of being in the right place at the right time. As mentioned before on a lot of other postings on this forum, keep trying and keep in touch with those in the industry. Jobs may come your way by word of mouth.
ROG:
If you get more driving a smaller vehicle stick with it. Driving a larger vehicle does not give you a larger status - laugh at all those who swap higher wages for a “better status” vehicle with lower wages.
I would agree with the not taking lower wages just to get a better vehicle thing but in this case I think that is pretty crap advice to give someone who needs the experience. It doesn’t mean more status but it sure means more experience and if a newbie is determined to drive the larger vehicles eventually they often have little or no choice than to drop a wage level or two in the short term, if they wish to eventually put their hard earned licence to use long term.
Ive just sat and laughed my way through this board lol.
Newer motors for less money?
30k+?
What ive basically found thro my career is u drive what ur given and if u want lots of money u drive it for 72hrs a week and fit as many nites out in as u can, and in the north east i have on occasions walked out of one job and into another but i know lads in other areas of the country who cant get a job let alone leave one.
I think the driver shortage is hyped up by driving schools and agencies.
A lot of new drivers come into the industry and think it is like a nine to five job and the job fits around them.
I am not saying that is wrong but that is not how transport works.
In over 30 years of truck driving i have never had a new truck, nor did i particularly want one.
Lucy is right when she says you have to serve an apprenticeship, but that does not mean you should be treated badly or made to run bent all the time.
Good luck to all new entrants to the job, keep looking and a good job will come
leslie g heath:
I think the driver shortage is hyped up by driving schools and agencies.
I would add ‘and the RHA, FTA etc’ to that.
What they mean is ’ there is a shortage of drivers willing to work all the hours under the sun (or moon) for very little money '.
Other than those additions, I think you’ve covered just about everything. 
After driving trucks for over 20 years, I was very recently given the keys of a brand new truck. The first time that’s ever happened.
i find this quite scary i am a wannabe got my provisional back this morning, and hopefully wanna pass my C+E soon, i am 43 and a fully qualified advanced carpenter with locksmith skills, i just wanna change in carreer coz of the way i see it going, i am lucky i will always have these skills, which a lot of truckers wont ever have or want! , what i am trying to say is i have upmost respect for you experienced drivers and i hope i will find you nice to me when i eventually get out there, as i see you as the only way of gaining knowledge and tips, i agree a newbie shouldnt expect fantastic wages from the start but also i shouldnt be treated as rubbish as i and others would have qualified at our own expense coz we are enthusiatic and want to be proffessional which i agree takes experience, i have always been willing to show the youngsters how things happen and work when they were newly qualified tradesman and they didnt get the same wages as me for a couple of years, my plan is to drive weekends for a few months then pack my employment with kier construction in! and drive 6 days then in a few years hopefully earn enough to only work 5 days, i hope it works out! and will be treated ok by you experienced proffessional drivers! what have i got to lose by trying? i am 43 married with 2 daughters, last year i was earning £25k working 5-3/4 days a week then we was taken over and i am limited to earning £20k working mon to fri, i cant live on that, i have a mortgage so even if i drive for an agency at weekends to get my experience i hope to be able to up my income back to around £25k , cheers Paul in essex !!!